Unfinished
by flint fire
Summary: Something terrible has happened to Misty, and Ash wants to save her. What if what they say about ghosts are true: they depart from this life for good when they finish what they had left unfinished. One-shot


So I decided to a break from writing my epic and came up with this little thing. I started it about a week or two after my grandfather passed away and it is kinda my way of working through it. It took me awhile to finish because I wasn't sure how I would end it but after I talked with my advisor for my major, I came up with how to finish it. It just kinda hit me for no explained reason, but I hope it will do.

A little about this and my thoughts on some of it. First, when it comes to ghosts, spirits, vampires (the real ones that don't sparkle), werewolves, and the like, I am open to their existence. Who's to say on some other planet creatures like that exist? I also have a friend from Virginia that claims to have driven through the Confederate Calvary.

Time travel is an interesting concept. If you can reach the speed of light, you can move forward in time. Moving backwards in time is theoretically possible as long as you have enough energy (more than 1.21 gigawatts of power) I originally wanted to make Ash go back, "fix" what had happened, and then assimilate into the new Ash. I stratched that and kinda went with a _Back to the Future_ type of thing (I do not own the rights to that awesome trilogy).

The reasoning behind the title and a little of the story is because _Casper, the Freindly Ghost_ (don't own this one either) was on the weekend I went home to visit my family and that got me thinking. Aslo, kinda ironic that that movie was on after my grandfather passed away.

Anyway, my first oneshot. Enjoy and make sure to read my other, much longer story.

* * *

><p>A young man lying face down on his bed could not help but wish that the last few days were just a dream, a bad one at that. How he wanted so badly to lift his head and see those Cerulean eyes again. He would even put up with being hit with her mallet as long as it meant she was back. She was his best friend and now is gone.<p>

What happened? Team Rocket's what happened. They came out of nowhere and ambushed the two teens. After running for a few miles, they decided to split up and meet at the Pokémon Center in her home town of Cerulean. Ash managed to lose them, but she was not so lucky. After a few hours passed, he decided to go look for her. He went down the path she took when they split up and found her leaning against a tree. He ran over to her to make sure she was okay. What he saw was shocking. Three gunshot wounds were in her chest, and blood was everywhere. She was not moving or breathing. Ash did not know what to do. He tried to figure out a way to bring her back, but it was no use. Once he realized that there was no hope, he began to cry as she lay in his arms. After a few hours, he picked her up and took her home.

Once he got there, he was immediately ambushed by Misty's sisters. Daisy had watched him walk up the sidewalk that led to the Gym and called for Lilly and Violet. They all sat in the living room for hours just crying. He called Brock once he was finally able to speak and told him what had happened. Brock came over as quickly as he could to try and comfort them. Daisy called the police, but because it was a Team Rocket attack, they could not do much except take Misty's body to get cleaned up and prepared for the funeral that would take place. Eventually, Brock took Ash home to Delia and stayed with them until they could get back to relatively normal lives.

That's why Ash is in his room. He rarely leaves except for food, which he eats very little, and to use the bathroom. He never thought something like this would happen to any of his friends, let alone Misty. He always imagined that they would live out their lives together, maybe not as a couple but as very close friends.

xxx

Brock sat in the living room watching something on the television, trying to keep himself from getting too bored. Not working all that well. He understood that Ash needed time but felt that he would have at least made an attempt to make it downstairs for more than a few minutes and talk with everyone by now. As he was losing interest in whatever he had put on, May, who came to visit after she heard the news, walked in.

"What you thinking about?" she asked.

"I'm just worried about Ash. It seems to have hit him harder than everyone else, her sister's included."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. It was painful to think too much about it, even weeks after the incident. "Maybe we should convince him to go out on another journey or something. I hear that Professor Oak is going to leave for a really far off region. Maybe meeting new people will help him feel better."

"I don't know. I have suggested going out just about every day this week, and he just rolls over and faces the wall without saying a word."

They sat in silence for another minute or so. They were not taking it as hard as Ash, but they were still a little uncomfortable talking about it. They heard footsteps coming from the stairs and looked in surprise at who was walking down them.

"I'm heading out. I don't know when I'll be back," Ash said as he threw on his jacket.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Brock asked.

"No."

"Do you want us to make you some dinner or something?" May asked.

"I'll get something while I'm out." With that, Ash walked out the door.

"Maybe there's still hope that he can return to normal," May said with relief.

"I still don't know. He didn't take Pikachu with him so who knows what he's up to."

They watched through the window as he stood at the fence for a moment before turning right down the road.

xxx

Ash sat down at the cliff overlooking the water. To his left was a statue of a maiden that was supposed to be waiting for her lover to return from war. _What memories. I just wish she was here with me to enjoy remembering them._

He fell back to lie down with his legs dangling over the edge. He closed his eyes, trying to remember what she looked like that night. Her hair was down, and she wore a pink kimono with bubbles and flowers. They danced that night. He wouldn't have admitted it then, but he enjoyed it. He probably would not have done it if it was anyone else. Sure he asked Dawn to dance once, but that was because he wanted her to join the fun at the Croagunk Festival.

"I just wish she was back."

"I think that can be arranged, sonny."

Ash shot straight up at the sound of the voice that was behind him. He did not think that anyone was around to hear him say that. He carefully turned around to see who spoke. What he saw was a little familiar. A short elderly woman was standing right behind him dressed in purple robes.

"Wait, you're that Ghastly that tried to steal Brock's soul!" Ash yelled as he got up preparing for a battle. How he was going to battle a shape shifting ghost without any Pokémon had not crossed his mind.

"Settle down you loud mouth whippersnapper. I am unable to do the same to you because you have already found someone," she said while taking a swing at him with her cane.

"Careful, you do realize that I am only inches away from imminent death."

"Yes, and I find death to be truly hysterical," she said with a laugh. "Now back to why you are here, you obviously miss the girl, and I can only presume that she is dead."

Ash's face dropped, and he fell to the ground. "You don't know how much I miss her and want her back."

"You're right, I probably don't, but my job is to help reunite long lost lovers so shut up so I can tell you what you are going to do."

"What? We were never lovers or anything like that. We were just good friends."

"Shut up!" She quickly swung her cane around and connected it with his head. "Once you're done sobbing and figured out that you kind of need to keep your yap shut, I can begin to help you."

Ash rubbed his head and gave the old woman a nasty look before nodding for her to continue.

"Good, now what if I told you people come back as ghosts because they have unfinished business. This is true. She has been watching you ever since she died trying to find a way to tell you her unfinished business. In fact she's floating right behind you."

Ash quickly turned around but saw nothing. He turned around when heard the old lady cracking up with laughter. "That's not funny."

"What did I tell you? I find death hysterical," she said wiping away a tear from her eye. After composing herself, she continued, "She has not been following you because once you become a ghost you have to sort of relearn your past. Once you do, you can begin the process of passing on by completing your unfinished business. Once that happens, you are no longer permitted from returning to this world, but your soul will be at peace. Something tells me that you would not want that to happen."

"I just want her back."

"For someone who claims to not be her lover, you sure care for her like you are. But, who am I to judge? Anyway, in order for you to bring her back to the realm of the living as a human and not a spirit, you are going to have to change time. First, find the Celebi that resides in the Ilex Forest of Johto. From there, you will be able to go back and prevent the incident from occurring. You must not be seen by your past self or the girl. Catastrophic consequences will result from it."

"Like what?"

"Like the universe will tear apart, ending all existence as we know it."

Ash looked scared by this statement. He wanted to see Misty again but was not sure if he could risk destroying the world. He was once again interrupted by the old woman's laugh. "What now?"

"You are as dense and as gullible as they say. You can't take everything so seriously. The worst that could happen would be the two of you pass out from the shock of realizing that you are you, he was you, she thought you were elsewhere, and you do something crazy. You follow?"

"I don't know," Ash said rubbing his head.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't be seen. You should probably take a Pokémon or two with you."

"Wouldn't that draw attention to myself?"

"Not if you attack Team Rocket hit-and-run style."

"I never said anything about Team Rocket."

"So you didn't. Mere guess or maybe I have been in contact with the girl ever since she died."

"You're lying."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But would you give her the chance to tell you her unfinished business if you knew how to save her?"

"I guess not."

"Good, now get going before I push you off this cliff."

"Yes ma'am," Ash said nervously as he got up and sprinted away.

"That kid really needs to relax."

xxx

_Okay, I picked up Charizard and got Pikachu with me. Now where are you?_

Ash had been walking around the Ilex Forest for almost three days and found nothing. He told Pikachu that they were looking for a Celebi but did not give him the reason for their search. This made his most trusted companion a little nervous for Ash's wellbeing.

"Pika?"

"I said don't worry about me, just keep your ears open for any signs of a Celebi."

Pikachu let out a sigh and began to listen for their goal. After walking for another hour or so, Pikachu picked up a sound. He leapt off Ash's shoulder and sprinted through the brush.

"Hey wait up!" Ash sprinted in the direction Pikachu went to try and catch up to his friend. _He must've picked up on something. Please let it be what I want._

After a few minutes of running, he saw Pikachu had stopped in front of a small wooden shrine with a small green statue of Celebi situated in the center of the alter like base in the middle of a clearing.

"Good job Pikachu. Now I guess we just have to wait and see if it will show up."

Pikachu sighed again and sat with his back against the shrine while Ash began searching the area around the shrine. After an hour, he decided he should give up. _I knew that this was probably too good to be true. Why would a Legendary ever help poor old me? It's not like their interested in my love life. Wait, did I really just think that? Great, maybe the old lady was right._

He sat down in the grass and groaned into his hands. Pikachu ran over to try and comfort him.

"Thanks buddy. I'm sorry I dragged you out here. I guess I just wanted to believe that there was a way to bring Misty back."

Pikachu's ears drooped at the mention of her name and let out a small cry. He missed Misty as much as Brock and her sisters did. He could understand why Ash would be more torn up about it than the others. Despite their constant denial, they were practically a couple whether they wanted it or not. Everyone but them could see it.

Pikachu's ears perked up when he heard something moving closer to them. "Pi Pikachu Pi Chu!"

"What's up buddy?" Ash asked as he wiped away a few stray tears. He looked down at his partner and saw that he was pointing at something. He followed his finger and stared at the place it pointed. On the edge of the clearing was a bush that was moving like someone or something was hiding in it.

"You want to check it out Pikachu?"

"Pi." Pikachu nodded and crept over to the bush and looked inside. Ash was still sitting on the ground and watched as Pikachu appeared to be having a conversation with the bush.

"What's going on Pikachu?"

Pikachu turned his head and smiled for a moment before turning back to the bush to continue his conversation. Ash looked at the back of Pikachu with a quizzical look before deciding to stand up and see what was going on. Pikachu heard this and let out a Thunderbolt that narrowly missed Ash.

"What was that for?"

"Pika," Pikachu said as he put a finger to his mouth indicating to be quiet and to stay back.

Ash sighed and moved back to where he was sitting. He pulled his hat over eyes and began to cry again. He had not felt this down since he found her body that day. Just when he got his hopes up that he would one day be reunited with Misty, they were being dashed because of Pikachu's insistence on talking with a bush.

"Bi?"

Ash looked up and was surprised to see what he saw. A Celebi was flying in front of him with a confused, but understanding look on its face. Pikachu then continued to talk with it because it looked like Ash wouldn't be able to for a little while. Celebi looked down at Pikachu and nodded. Pikachu smiled and hopped onto Ash's shoulder. Ash looked at him for a moment before Celebi took his one hand and let out a high pitched cry. Soon, the entire forest was disappearing into a green aura only to reform seconds later. It was a little darker outside than before, and it looked like it was about to rain.

Ash looked at Celebi and asked, "Are we in the past?"

Celebi nodded and pointed to his Poké Ball on his belt. Ash reached down and grabbed it to release Charizard. He let out a roar and looked down at Ash.

Before Ash could think of anything to say, Celebi was beginning to pull at his shirt to get him to hop on Charizard. It was then that he understood that he was finally going to be able to save Misty and hopped onto Charizards back.

"Alright buddy, I need you to fly me to Cerulean quickly. I know you can do it."

Charizard let out another roar and took off in the direction of Cerulean.

xxx

"Land right here Charizard."

Charizard complied and landed just outside the city.

"Thanks buddy. Rest up for a bit. I will probably need you later," Ash said as he returned Charizard to his Poké Ball. "Now, let's go to the spot where it happened."

Ash began to run down the path that led into the woods and quickly found the spot where it had happened. Now in the future, Ash had tied her handkerchief around the tree to mark the spot, but seeing as it was the past, the handkerchief was not there. Ash didn't need it to know that this was the spot, though. He looked around waiting for any signs that Misty or Team Rocket would be coming. He then found a spot where he could hide and still have a good clear shot to see what was going on. Together, they waited for Misty to arrive. After a few minutes, Ash decided that it would probably be a good idea to have Charizard out and ready because he did not know how much time he would have once Misty was stopped at the tree. Soon the sound of footsteps began to get louder. Soon, Misty was in view and stopped in front of the tree. Ash had to fight himself so that he would not reveal his position. Soon more footsteps began to sound, but it was hard to determine where they were coming from. Soon Misty was surrounded by a large group of Rockets, leaving her with nowhere to run.

"What do ya say boys? Should we just dispose of her now or wait and let the boss decide what to do with her?" The tallest, most muscular grunt asked the mob of blood thirsty Rockets. They all let out a shout sounding their approval for the murder. All the while, Misty just stood there, rooted to the spot. She looked so scared and so helpless.

Ash couldn't take it anymore. "Now!"

Charizard let out the strongest Flamethrower Ash had ever seen that hit every Rocket that surrounded Misty. She dropped to the ground once she realized that she was not the target of the flame attack. Once she got up on her feet, she looked around to see the Rockets writhing on the ground in pain. She looked like she wanted to go over to the source of the Flamethrower but quickly thought better of it and seized the opportunity to run for it.

Ash smiled. With all of the Rockets incapacitated, he could stop worrying about Misty's safety. He looked at Celebi after returning Charizard and said, "Let's go back."

Celebi nodded and began the process of time travel once more. Just as they were about to leave, a loud explosion could be heard off in the distance but could be felt from where they were. "No! Misty!" Ash shouted, but it was too late. They had already gone back into the future.

Ash looked around and saw that they were still in the forest but at the time when they left for the past. Ash began to cry when he saw that the handkerchief was still there.

"I should have made sure that all of the grunts were out. It's all my fault, just like last time. I wasn't strong enough to save her. That old lady must have been wrong about there being a chance to save her."

Celebi flew over to Ash and looked at him compassionately. It then prepared for time travel once more but was stopped by Ash.

"No. I don't think I could mess with time again. Some things are just meant to happen, no matter how painful they can be." He got up and thanked Celebi for all that it had done and hopped onto Charizard's back. "Let's head home."

Once home, he didn't bother answering any of the questions that Delia or Brock posed to him. He just went upstairs and went straight to bed so that he could cry some more.

xxx

Ash woke the next morning with something preventing him from lifting himself off the bed. Normally he would head to the bathroom once he got up and then make toast before returning to his fortress of solitude. As he tried to get up, he felt whatever was holding him down was gripping tighter to his back. _That's weird. Normally Pikachu jumps right off when I wake up, but whatever's on my back is definitely heavier than Pikachu._

As he thought that, he felt two arms wrap around his body. Because he was not totally awake, he could not tell whose they were but had a strange feeling that they were familiar.

"Morning Ash."

Ash's eyes shot wide open when he heard that familiar voice. He felt the weight lift off his back so that he was free to turn to face whoever was on it. He quickly turned to face the person and stared dumbstruck.

Misty giggled. "I know the idea of us in a relationship is still a little odd to you but that doesn't mean you have to be surprised every time I wake up in the same bed as you."

"Since when are we in a relationship?" were the first word to come out of his mouth.

"Wow, your mom was right when she told me you were sick, but I didn't expect you to be this delirious." She laughed.

"Could you just refresh my memory, please?" Ash asked trying his best to hide his confusion.

"Fine. Well, after we split up after being chased by Team Rocket, I was surrounded. Then, out of nowhere, a Flamethrower hit every single one of them and that allowed me to break free. A few moments later a huge explosion went off in front of me and sent me back towards the Rockets. One of them walked over to me after a while but he didn't come any closer than a few feet because you knocked him out with a Thunderbolt from Pikachu. You then picked me up and ran me to the hospital where I passed out. You were by my side the whole time. When I finally came around, you looked so relieved that I was alright. That's when you said something that I was waiting to hear for quite some time now. I'm sure you remember what you said." As Misty said the last bit, a blush crept across her face.

"I'm not sure that I do. Remember, delirious," Ash said with a light chuckle.

"You said, 'I love you and never want to see you hurt like this again. I will make sure that never happens.'" she said with her face turning even redder.

"I really said that? Huh."

"What, were you lying to me?" Misty asked fighting back anger.

"Cool it Misty." He was stalling for time now. He was totally confused as to why he would ever say or think of anything like that. Then he remembered his trip to the past and how scared she looked when she was all alone in front of the Rockets.

He looked back at Misty and saw that tears were starting to come down her face. "Please don't cry. You know I hate it when you do."

"It's just you didn't answer me right away, and I got worried that you just said that because of the situation we were in."

"Don't think that. You know I can never lie to you, and I always will tell you the truth. What I said at the hospital was true. I do love you and never want to see you hurt again." He wrapped his arms around her giving her a hug.

"Thanks Ash. You really are the best."

"I really am, aren't I?"

"Don't push your luck."

"Sorry, how about we head down to get something to eat. It feels like I haven't eaten in days."

The two laughed and began to make their way down to the kitchen. Ash couldn't help but think that the old lady was right. Maybe they were lovers and never really realized it. Maybe that was Misty's unfinished business, to tell him how she felt about him. All he knew was that he had Misty back, and she was going to be with him for the rest of their lives.


End file.
